Our laboratory studies signal transduction systems controlled
by heterotrimeric G proteins as well as Ras-related GTPases. The superfamily
of GTPases control numerous signaling cascades based upon the regulated
binding, hydrolysis, and exchange of guanine nucleotides; GTP-bound
GTPases are active in downstream signaling while those bound to GDP
are inactive. Mutant GTPases with abnormal GDP/GTP cycling are implicated
in numerous human diseases, including cancer. It is our desire to better
understand the regulation of heterotrimeric G proteins and Ras-related
GTPases at the molecular level with the ultimate goal of using this
information to design therapies to correct abnormal signaling mediated
by these proteins and thereby treat associated pathologies.